Chapter 11
“If only I could hear your
sorrow, shine on me again
I’d help you find your tomorrow,
shine on me again.”
-“Weave Me Some Sunshine”
“So
Lance, what do you want to do for the big day?”
“Chris,
I don’t want to do anything for my birthday. Just sleep. Or maybe have
another movie night,” Lance replied, tired with his friend attempting to get
him to go clubbing.
“Lance!
You’re turning twenty-two! What kind of lame-ass birthday can you have with no
partying?” Chris said in disbelief. “When I turned twenty-two, I stayed out
till four a.m. with my friends, getting kicked out of all the best clubs,” he
reminisced with a smile on his face. “Yup, those were the days.”
Lance
rolled his eyes. “Sorry, but I don’t want to spend my birthday getting
abused by bouncers.”
“Well,”
Chris attempted another route, “Lillian’s only going to be here this once
for your birthday. Don’t you think we should go out and show her how we like
to get our groove on?”
“Honestly?”
he answered, “I doubt she’d want to party with us. Lily’s not really the
clubbing type.”
“Justin’s
the clubbing type. And you can be the clubbing type when you feel like it.
Justin will definitely come, and if you come, she won’t be able to say no!”
“Okay,
Chris, Lily is not going to enjoy seeing Justin grinding up to various
girls,” he said sensibly.
“Then
we can doll her up real nice, and maybe some guys can take her mind of Justin
for one night!” Chris said excitedly, glad that he had found a way around that
obvious fact.
Lance
thought about that option. It would be good for Lily to get out and meet some
other people. It can’t be healthy for her to be in close contact with her
crush every minute. And I don’t know, I do kind of want to get out and party.
“As
long as you promise to never say ‘doll her up real nice’ again, we got a
deal,” he gave in.
Chris
jumped up, ecstatic. “Yes! We are gonna have so much fun, you won’t regret
it. I’ll go talk it over with Tim and security.” He ran over to the phone
and picked it up, dialing frantically for Tim’s cell.
Lance
smiled, eager to help Lily get over her recent melancholy.
*
*
*
*
*
“I
am not coming out in this!” Lillian exclaimed.
“Lilypad,
open the door!” Joey shouted back, exasperated. “I’m sure you look
fine.”
Lillian
examined herself in the large bathroom mirror. Fine? If your idea of fine is
prancing around naked, I guess I do look fine.
“Joey,
this is too revealing! You are crazy to want me to wear this tonight. It’s . .
. barely there.”
Joey
sighed to Lance and Chris, who were looking over the other dresses and skirts he
had bought that afternoon. “That’s the style now! Trust me,” he coaxed.
“Now open the door and come out, or I’m coming in.”
He
waited a few more seconds before he heard the lock click. The door slowly
cracked open an inch, and Joey pushed it open the rest of the way impatiently.
He invited himself into the bathroom and his eyes bugged when he saw her
Damn.
I didn’t know our Lilypad could look so . . . hot.
But he could also see a definite problem with the dress.
“You’re
right. Take that one off. Way too revealing,” he decided, looking critically
at the black dress’s cut and drape. “I don’t think Lance would appreciate
it if I got his friend mauled by horny college guys.”
“I
told you!” she said, poking a finger into his chest. “It’s not me
at all.”
“No,
it is you, if you allowed yourself to loosen up a little. But I don’t
want to have to stand guard all night with you, beating off the male species
with a stick. Wow, Lilypad, you should stop wearing jeans and sweats if this is
what you’re hiding underneath,” he whistled appreciatively.
Lillian
blushed all the way to the roots of her hair. “Joey, shut up,” she
commanded, “And go find me a better dress. And by better I mean at least a
yard of fabric!”
He
obediently left her to undress, bowing backwards out the door. Lillian wasn’t
voluptuous, and not exactly gorgeous like other women he had met. But her petite
body did have some definite attractions. The graceful curves easily caught his
experienced eye.
“Guys,”
he whispered after the bathroom door had locked shut again, “You wouldn’t
believe how hot Lilypad looked. Justin is going to freak!” he squeaked
out.
Lance
replied calmly, “I don’t think Lily wants Justin to freak.”
“No,
I know what Justin likes, and he will like this. A lot,” Joey argued.
“She
doesn’t want him to just lust after her for one night and then forget about
the whole thing the next day. She wants his love, moron,” Chris said
distractedly, picking up another dress and then discarding it with a toss.
“Chris
is right,” Lance agreed, “If a little blunt. I bet she wants J to notice her
for herself, not because of a low-cut dress.”
“Well,
she’s not doing a very good job of that so far,” Joey replied sharply.
Lillian,
changed back into her regular clothes, had been about to come out of the
bathroom, wondering why Joey was taking so long to find another dress, when she
had heard the last bits of his conversation with Chris and Lance. She quickly
pulled the door shut again and locked it. Were her feelings for Justin that
obvious?
Joey
jerked his head up at hearing the door slam. “Shit. Please tell me that JC
just walked in. Please,” he begged.
Lance
shook his head. “Sorry, Joey. Go fix the mess you made,” he said, pushing
Joey towards the bathroom. They could hear the small sniffles from behind the
door. He gave Joey one last meaningful glance before going back to join Chris.
“Lilypad,”
he cajoled. “Let me in, sweetheart.” I
am such an ass.
“No,”
came the quiet reply. “I want to think for a second.”
“Okay,”
he agreed. Exactly two seconds later, he spoke up again. “I gave you an extra
second. Now let me come in and talk to you.”
“I
don’t want to hear an apology, Joey. Not when you were right.”
He
wasn’t expecting her to say that. “What do you mean?” he inquired.
She
opened the door and allowed him to enter. Her eyes were a little watery, but she
wasn’t weeping or anything. Thank god. I don’t know how to act around
tears.
Lillian
sat down on the edge of the bathtub and Joey pulled down the toilet bowl lid
before positioning himself there, waiting for her to talk.
“I
haven’t been doing a good job of getting noticed for myself,” she finally
said, motioning for him to be quiet and listen to her. “And not only with
Justin. Maybe I should just loosen up and wear that dress. All my life I’ve
retreated when things got rough. I guess that’s why I’m like this now. Just
got used to being overlooked.”
Joey
nodded understandingly at her last statement. “I know what you mean,” he
replied, smiling at her disbelieving gaze. “It’s true! But I’m not
overlooked by women or in social situations. I’m overlooked in music.
Everyone’s heard ‘N Sync’s songs, but has anyone actually heard Joey
Fatone? No. Honestly, who the hell knows what a baritone voice does when
there’s a bass around to sing all the low parts? I listen to our records, and
at first I was so disappointed when I couldn’t pick out my own voice out of
four others.”
“Joey,”
she breathed, taking his hand comfortingly. “I never thought you felt this
way.”
“Well,
I don’t. Not anymore, at least. After a while, I figured that as long as I
knew I was singing, then I was satisfied. Plus I’m not that big of an idiot, I
know that JC and Justin have better voices. So then, because there was no way in
hell I could stand out with singing, I decided to try other means.” He
motioned to his huge glittery Superman chain and brightly colored orange hair.
Lillian
laughed, seeing his unabashed grin. “I see. You decided to become the wild,
funky one.”
“That,
and the one who gets all the hot chicks.”
“Smart,
Joey, very smart,” she approved.
“But
wait, I’m not done yet!” he spoke up. “The moral of the story is: Don’t
count your chickens before they hatch,” he said sagely.
“Uh,
that has nothing to do with anything,” she answered baffled.
“Oh
yeah. Sorry, I was just caught up in the moment. What I meant to say was: I
didn’t try to force myself to become something that wasn’t real. I changed
things to accommodate me. And look where I am now! If it worked for me, it can
work for you!” he exclaimed like a weight-loss program patient.
“I
get what you’re saying,” Lillian responded, nodding slowly. “I shouldn’t
wear that dress just because it’ll get Justin’s attention.”
“Not
exactly. If you feel comfortable with the dress, wear it. But I don’t want to
coerce you into anything. What I said before was way out of line, and I’m
really sorry.”
“You’re
forgiven,” she smiled. “I don’t feel right in the dress, though. I need
all the help I can get. Maybe we can find a compromise.”
Joey
grinned widely. “Now you’re talking! I bet I can find the perfect dress. And
not the perfect dress for Justin. The perfect dress for Lillian Oswald.”
She
was deeply touched by his understanding. “Joey,” she pretended to cry,
hugging him, “I didn’t even know you knew my last name!”
*
*
*
*
*
“I’m
so lost,” Justin moaned.
“Come
on, J, don’t be like this,” JC replied. “You just have to think your
situation over, and weigh your options. Obviously you don’t like Elaine that
much.”
“But
if I tell her to get lost, I’m going to have to deal with her for the next
three months of the tour.”
“Okay,
then. You haven’t talked to Britney that much lately.”
“But
she’s my friend.”
“If
she’s your friend, then you should tell her the truth. I don’t think the two
of you are really ready for such a high-profile relationship. Notice that she
hasn’t called you much, either,” JC said observantly.
Justin
mulled over that for a while. It’s true, she hasn’t called me. And
I haven’t called her. We’ve been close friends for so long, and
she’s always understood before. Brit will definitely understand now.
“You’re
right, Jace. I’ll call Britney right now. I get the feeling that she regrets
rushing things, too.”
JC
nodded at his friend and left their hotel room, wanting to give him some
privacy.
“Thanks,
man!” Justin called as the door swung closed.
*
*
*
*
“Where’s
the birthday boy?” Justin impatiently demanded. He was dressed in his “playa
clothes,” as Joey liked to say. Black slacks falling over his Timberlands and
a shiny blue shirt left open to reveal his customary wifebeater. Accessories
usually included a thick silver chain around his neck and a bandanna around his
wild curls, but this time he had no need for the bandanna. Because the wild
curls were shorn off.
At
first his friends and Tim had been astounded at his new hairstyle. Going from an
afro to a buzz cut was a little shocking, to say the least. But they had gotten
used to it over the past hour or so, when Justin had joined them in the lobby.
Tim had shaken his head, not daring to think of the reactions from the fans, but
he remembered to tell them to not attract too much extra attention tonight
before going back to his room.
Justin
was happier than he had been in a long time. He didn’t tell anyone, but the
liberating feeling of seeing the annoying curls disappear was his way of
distancing himself from his recent problems. Britney had taken the news well,
just as he knew she would. She had agreed that they had been too hasty in
getting involved with each other, and they were now “just friends” once
again.
Then
they had talked for a long time, sharing what had happened to each of them in
the past weeks. After he hung up the phone, he couldn’t prevent his joyful
grin. It was then that he ran out into the streets with Todd, his hapless
bodyguard, trying to keep up as he searched for a barbershop.
“He’s
with Lillian right now,” Chris answered. “He’ll be down in a few, so
simmer down now, boy!”
“How
can I simmer down when we’re gonna go partying?! This will be so fun. In fact,
I believe it will crunk,” he carefully pronounced the word, knowing how
it would annoy Chris to no end.
Chris
was in too good of a mood to care, and he simply covered his ears and sang to
himself as Justin continued to repeat the word over and over.
“The
ants go marching down the hill, two by two,” he sang loudly in an attempt to
drown out Justin.
“Crunk,
crunkalicious, crunking,” Justin persistently droned on. Then he launched into
a rendition of his favorite Ginuwine song. “Said I’m sooo anxious, Lance
would you quit that stalling, you know I’m a crunkaholic, I’m sooooo
anxious,” he crooned, clutching his hands to his chest and gazing up above.
Joey
laughed as Justin fell to his knees with a flourish, then he clapped and joined
JC in a standing ovation. “Beautiful. The passion, the lyrics. Hand this man a
Grammy!” he shouted to the passer-bys in the lobby.
In
response they all hurried away, probably scared of the crazy man. JC and Justin
laughed at their friend’s offended look.
“Don’t
worry, Joey,” Justin said, “Some people just don’t recognize talent when
they see it.”
Chris
pulled his hands away from his ears when he saw Lance and Lillian approach them.
Lance’s hair was perfectly in place with the help of his gel, and Lillian
ditched her usual hairstyle and had pulled her dark strands into an elegant bun.
“About
time, you guys! I was dying here. Never leave me alone with them again!” he
begged.
“Sorry
about the delay,” Lance rushed, heading to the limo waiting for them outside
with Lillian by his side. “But now we can get start the party, cuz the man of
the hour is here!”
The
others whooped in approval and disregarding the curious and shocked gazes of the
people around them, they ran to hop in the limo.
Once their bodyguards were in the car behind them, and Todd was sitting up front with the driver, they pulled out of the hotel lane and merged with the other night traffic, their spirits as high as their rowdy voices and shouts.